


More Than You Know

by italianice15



Category: the Jungle Book
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 16:08:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5632771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/italianice15/pseuds/italianice15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shere Khan loves Bagheera, he just doesn't know how to show it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Than You Know

Bagheera stalked the hare silently, his pitch black coat blending seemlessly into the shadows of the jungle. His large paws rose and fell without a sound. His breathing was even and quiet, his yellow eyes locked on the hopping mass of brown fur. His sand papery tongue cleaned his mouth, subconsciously preparing itself for a meal. It didn't look like much, but Khan loved hares. He got closer and closer until he could hear the hare's heartbeat. He pounced, his strong jaws sinking into the warm body. The hare jerked around for a second, then fell limp in Bagheera's mouth. With a satisfied purr, he made his way back to the cave he shared with Khan. It was a short journey by way of tree limbs. His lithe body weaved in and out of the trees expertly, the cave finally coming into view. He didn't see Khan's bright orange and black fur, the tiger was probably out hunting like Bagheera had been, but Khan often waited for larger prey, not being as opportunistic as Bagheera. He dropped the hare on the cave floor and laid next to it, waiting patiently for Khan to return. The morning turned to the afternoon and the sun was high in the sky, but black clouds were rolling in fast. Bagheera knew a storm was coming and there was still no sign of Khan. Trying to relieve himself of building nervousness, he rearranged the leaves they'd laid out as bedding, fixing the intricate weave he'd spent hours perfecting when he first made it last summer. He remembered that summer like it was yesterday, especially the day Khan approached him and requested that they court. It was vivid in his memory and he doubted that he'd ever forget it. There was a low crackle of thunder and the sky darkened. Soft rain fell from the sky and Bagheera sat at the entrance of the cave, his keen eyes searching for his mate. A low growl reached his ears and he turned to his left. Coming up the mountainside slowly was Khan with a buffalo hanging from his jaws. He was dragging it backwards, obviously having trouble moving the large animal. It was easily twice his size and three times his weight. Bagheera rushed to his side, eager to help Khan.

" Here, let me help.", He took the front legs in his mouth and helped lug the animal to the cave. Eventually, they were in the middle of the cave eating together. Khan smelled something else in the cave, a different scent than the buffalo.

" Did you get something, too?", Khan asked.

" I found a hare for you."

" A hare?", Khan rose and smelled around, immediately retrieving the hare from where Bagheera stashed it in the corner. His mouth watered and his eyes widened. He looked back at Bagheera, who gave him a nod, granting him permission to eat the hare. Thunder cracked again, this time much louder than it had been. Khan finished devouring the hare and began cleaning his mouth and paws. He extended his long claws and flexed his massive front paws, cleaning every nook and cranny. The wind changed and blew the rain right into their cave. Bagheera, being the smart panther he was, had prepared for this and had taken deer skins and hung them by their antlers like two curtains on the walls around the entrance of the cave. It blocked the rain splendidly and Bagheera could only marvel upon his own work, honestly, because he didn't think it would work that well. 

" Where did you get an idea like that?", Khan asked, running his, now clean, paw against the palm leaf curtains.

" I saw something like it in the man village.", he answered, knowing what Khan's reaction would be.

" You went to the man village? How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from there? You could be seen, Bagheera.", anger filled his sunshiny eyes.

" Really, Shere, you don't have to tell me at all because I'm not a cub.", Bagheera retorted calmly. Khan rolled his eyes and went toward the back of the large cave they shared. He laid down heavily, almost throwing himself on the rocky floor. A huff escaped the tiger as frustration built up in his chest. Bagheera could only chuckle at the tiger. 

" It won't be so funny when they get you with one of those sticks."

" It's called a 'gun' and they don't have any.", Bagheera scoffed playfully. Lightning flashed brightly, appearing through the small holes in the woven leaves. The panther stretched and continued to eat the buffalo, feeling Khan's stare on his back. Long moments of silence passed as Khan brooded in his own annoyance with Bagheera. 

\--

The heavy rain fell harder and the wind picked up. It was nighttime now and Bagheera stretched and yawned. He laid down beside Khan, who had already fallen asleep by this time. Bagheera couldn't find rest that night. The sounds of the storm outside and the nagging thought of Khan being angry with him kept him awake. He tossed and turned to the lightning flashes outside. He heard Khan's heavy breathing, feeling the fur on his shoulder flutter as the warm breath hit it. Bagheera rose and pushed away one of the deer skin curtains he made. He slipped out silently, replacing the door afterwards. He climbed a short ways down the mountain and jumped into the tree branches. The familiar feeling of the strong bark under his paws comforted him, unlike the rocks of the mountain caves that Khan was so used to. He journeyed to the grasslands that started when the jungle ended. There was a big river that ran through the grasslands possessing Khan's favorite fish. Bagheera thought it was a suitable apology for his actions, though Khan rarely apologized to him for his wrong-doings, but now was not the time to be petty. The trees turned to shrubs, then to tall grass. He jumped down to the ground, his paws instantly sank down in the mud. His face cringed, but he marched on. Loud thunder boomed above him and the cold air bit at him unceasingly. Though it was dark, he knew the way better than most things he's learned in his whole life. He heard the water running, so he sped up. The rain made the water even more unsteady that it already was, making Bagheera doubt that there would be any fish out. He had to try anyway, the gift was important to him. He walked on rocks until he reached the middle of the river. He could barely see either of the riverbanks now. To his surprise, hundreds of large, silver bodies swam past him quickly, some darted around, instead of swimming straight. He raised his paw slowly, using the technique he learned from Baloo. He focused on one fish then, fast as the lightning that lit the sky, he brought it down and swatted the fish out of the water. It landed on a nearby rock, flopping around like a worm. Bagheera pounced, but his paw slipped and the dish got away, speeding down the river. Bagheera let out a defeated sigh, then began hunting again. He found another fish, swatted it out of the water, and slipped again, resulting in another loss. This went on for a while and the panther began to get frustrated.

" Maybe, if you wouldn't fish in the rain, love, you'd be more successful.", a deep, resonating voice reached Bagheera's sharp ears. He caught sight of the lovely yellow eyes, even though the body they belonged to was hidden.

" Maybe if I didn't lo-", he started, but stopped short when he realized he was going to say something he never had before. There was a snarl, a dark one that rolled in the tiger's chest. Even halfway across the river, it sent chills up Bagheera's spine, making the jet black fur rise. Khan stepped from rock to rock until he met Bagheera. 

" Why did you leave the cave?", he asked darkly.

" To get you a peace offering.", Bagheera kept focusing on the fish, disregarding Khan's seemingly permanent frown.

" I don't want a peace offering, I want you to listen to me.", Khan stepped closer. He was much larger than Bagheera and much less steady on the slippery stones. 

" That is the problem. I did not agree to be with you to get a parent figure. I though we- I thought you- oh, never mind.", he huffed and ran to the other side of the river.

" Bagheera!", Khan roared. He went to chase Bagheera, but he slipped and fell in the river. If he weren't such an expert swimmer, he'd surely have been swept away. By the time he reached the riverbank, though, there was no sign of the panther. Thunder cracked loudly and the lightning lit up the grasslands for a split second. 

" Bagheera, come back now!", he called out again. His heavy wet fur clung to him, making it hard to walk through the mud and grass. Bagheera was probably crouching low and heading to the other side of the jungle. 

\--

Bagheera reached the trees, immediately taking refuge among the trees. He felt safer in the trees than he did on the ground. They sheltered him, they felt most natural. Not to say he hated the ground, where Khan was most of the time when he wasn't near water. He laid down in an exhausted, helpless heap in the center of a large tree. He curled up, keeping warm since he's gotten soaked. He rested his head on his paws and tried to fall asleep. Many hours passed and he heard the sound of his love's roars and pleads. It broke his heart, so he rose and looked down from a tree branch. A soaked tiger walked through the jungle, his face etched with worry. Bagheera wanted to call out to him, but something stopped him, his voice suddenly gone. Instead, he swiped at a stick and it fell in front of Khan right when he was about to pass. 

" Bagheera, get down here! Stop acting like a cub.", Khan chided. Bagheera found his voice again, but with more sass than he intended.

" I'll act the way you treat me.", he turned away and laid in the tree again.

" Bagheera!", the tiger's response was silence. Fed up with this foolishness, Khan carefully, slowly climbed up the tree. He balanced on the branches and met Bagheera. Bagheera rolled over, his back facing Khan.

" Bagheera, what is the matter with you?"

" Me? I'm the one with the problem? I've tried to please you in every minuscule way I can possibly think of, but your never satisfied. You want me to stay in that blasted cave every hour of every day and I can't take it anymore! You treat me like I'm a cub, like you have to keep track of me all the time. I'm a grown panther, I can take care of myself.", he burst. Khan sat silently, letting every word sink in.

" I wouldn't have to treat you like a cub if you'd stop going to those damn man villages!", he fired back.

" That's the point, you admit it. I thought you loved me, but I guess you just wanted someone to boss around after Kaa.", Bagheera uttered lowly. This made Khan angry, truly angry.

" You think I don't love you? How could I not?"

" You love me?"

" Why did you think I didn't?", Kahn sounded deeply hurt.

" You're so controlling and overprotective, it's suffocating me, Shere. I feel like you're watching me all the time."

" That's to make sure you're not hurt. I worry about you when you go off to the man villages. I've seen what they do to animals that they catch. I never want that to happen to you, Bagheera.", Khan leaned in close and sweetly bumped his head into Bagheera's neck and wrapped a forearm around his shoulders, pulling him close. Bagheera felt guilty, he never knew Khan was worried about him. Khan raised his head up and looked at Bagheera, who looked the part of a kicked puppy. 

" I'll stop going to the man villages if it makes you happy.", Bagheera offered sincerely.

" But the man villages make you happy, love. I see some serious compromising in our future.", Khan joked, highly unlike the himself. Bagheera was quiet, listening to the rain hit the leaves around them. 

" I do love you, Bagheera, never doubt that. I want to be with you as long as I live. I can't bare the thought of the men taking you away from me. I don't know what I'd do if-"

" It's okay, Shere. I'll go less and won't get so close.", Bagheer nuzzled Khan's chin. 

" And you don't like the cave, either?", Khan remembered Bagheera referring to it as 'that blasted cave'.

" It would be my first chioce, but I like it just fine when you're there.", he said sweetly.

" I think we can sleep here tonight.", Khan laid down, soon followed by Bagheera.


End file.
